Progress
by ApocalypticalKitten
Summary: "Why couldn't Ivan just stay calm for once, instead of flying off the handle? Natalya was already depressed, and on the verge of being suicidal, why couldn't Ivan see that Natalya was only pestering him because she cared?" Dysfunctional family AU. Human names used.


**This is my first real story to be posted online, so I am somewhat nervous, and I do hope that you enjoy it. I shall warn you, this contains romance between Canada and Ukraine, and maybe an itsy bitsy tiny bit of RusCan? If you squint perhaps, or put on your fangirl-goggles, but I see it as completely platonic. Oh, and if you have a problem with the name I went with for Ukraine, well...that sucks, i suppose. Anyway, I do NOT own Hetalia. Please enjoy!**

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Iryna didn't know if she was being unreasonable, but she really didn't think one peaceful family dinner was too much to ask for. Another night, another late-for-dinner-Ivan, and another one too many questions asked by a secretly worried Natalya. Ivan had exploded, and a hurt Natalya had gone running to her room, with Ivan following her example.

Iryna bit her lip, and scraped the uneaten food off of the plates and into the trash. She kept a careful eye for anything that looked completely untouched to save in the fridge.

They weren't exactly the most wealthy people in the world and nothing good ever came from being wasteful.

Why couldn't Ivan just stay calm for once, instead of flying off the handle? Iryna thought to herself. Natalya was already depressed, and on the verge of being suicidal, why couldn't Ivan see that Natalya was only pestering him because she cared?

But at the same time Iryna could feel only sympathy for her younger brother. He had had it the worst since their parents had died.

They had been caught in a snow storm on the way home and their car found buried in the snow three days later. Iryna had been eighteen at the time, therefore old enough to be her younger sibling's legal guardian from that point on. Ivan was thirteen and Natalya only ten.

The next year Ivan had gotten a part-time job and tried to juggle that along with school and hadn't exactly succeeded. He flunked almost all of his classes and got kicked out of two different schools, due to showing disrespect towards superiors and acting aggressive towards peers. Both schools had a three-strike rule.

Iryna had tried to convince him that her salary was enough to support them and that he needed to focus on his studies and to work on improving his behavior. Unfortunately her attempts bore no fruit, and now three years later, as a seventeen year-old in high school, he was still trying to do the same thing.

Ivan believed that nothing was more important then helping provide for his family, and while that was all very noble of him it made Iryna want to scream. How did he expect to keep providing for them properly without an education?

The saddest part of it all was how much Natalya idolized her big brother. She had severe health problems as a child that she had eventually seemed to grown out of, but had caused her memory of their parents to be rather vague. And with no memory-of or current, strong male roll in her life, Ivan was the closest thing to a father figure she had, despite the fact that the two only had about a three-year age difference. Ivan was the world to Natalya and he only pushed her away.

Iryna finished the last of the dishes and started up the stairs towards her sister's bedroom. When she got to the door adorned with a scull and cross-bones sign reading "keep out!" in red letters, the font trying make it look like dripping blood, Iryna took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She hesitantly knocked on the fourteen year-old girl's door.

"Natalya?"

No reply. She opened the door slowly.

She didn't see her at first, it took her a moment to realize that the pile of laundry in the doorway of the closet wasn't clothes at all and was, in fact, Natalya, curled up on the floor.

She didn't even look up.

"Natalya?" she asked again, closing the bedroom door behind her.

"What do you want?" came the weak reply.

"I wanted to see if you were alright." Iryna said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I'm fine." The girl told her sister without looking at her. "Why wouldn't I be?" Natalya sat up and combed her long silver-blonde hair through with her fingers. Her bitten-short nails were coated with glossy black polish.

Iryna knew that this was exactly what she said when she wasn't fine at all.

"Come here" Iryna said softly, opening her arms wide.

"Why?" Natalya asked indignantly, though tears were already forming in the corners of her eyes. She still wouldn't look at her sister.

Iryna didn't say anything; she just kept her arms open and sat there, looking at her sister.

Eventually Natalya couldn't take it anymore, so she got up quickly and rushed into her sister's waiting arms.

Iryna enveloped her immediately, instantly warming her.

She could feel her little sister's tears soaking the shoulder of her blouse, but honestly she couldn't care less. Natalya's sobbing increased and Iryna started rubbing large circles in her back.

Iryna was never really one to say "shhh, its okay" because often times, when people needed comfort like this, it wasn't.

Iryna supposed she could say; "It'll _be_ okay" but she didn't want to make promises she couldn't keep.

Unknown by the two young women, Ivan stood outside the bedroom door, eavesdropping. Guilt griped his heart like an icy vice.

After a short while, Natalya started to calm down, and she tapped her sister's shoulder to let her up. Iryna complied and the teen walked over to the night stand get the floral-patterned Kleenex box that rested on it. After retrieving the tissues, she sat down next to the blonde, and blew her nose.

The older girl reached over and grabbed the trash bin next to the wooden writing desk; she offered it to her sister for when she was done.

"I'm sorry" the girl breathed, after she was finished tidying herself up.

"For what? Feeling?" the twenty-two year-old asked, looking incredulous.

"No, for being dramatic"

The older of the two girls sighed.

"Natalya, you weren't being dramatic, you were genuinely hurt. Ivan had no right to lash out at you the way he did, especially when you were only worrying about his well- being"

Before the other could respond, the doorbell rang. Natalya's face fell ever so slightly.

"You should go, that was probably Matvey".

The older girl hesitated.

"Are you sure?"

Natalya nodded solemnly, "Go, your making him wait"

Iryna got up to take her leave, about to promise that she'd check in on her later but before she could get to the door Natalya called out to her.

"Just…make sure he doesn't come in here"

Iryna turned back and smiled.

"I'll see that he doesn't" she whispered before carefully shutting the door.

Iryna knew that although Natalya didn't fully trust her boyfriend Matthew (or anyone for that matter), She didn't dislike him either. She just didn't want non-familial persons to see her in her weakest state.

Iryna made her way downstairs and headed towards the front door. And when she opened it the strawberry-blonde boy standing there was exactly who she wanted to see.

"Uh, hi?" he mumbled uncertainly as he stepped inside.

She realized she was probably giving him a strange look.

Without saying anything, she leaned forward and burrowed her face in Matthew's neck, wrapping her arms around his slim torso.

"Iryna?" he asked, sounding confused and slightly concerned, but his arms found her shoulders immediately. "What's wrong, eh?"

Iryna took a deep breath, taking in her boyfriend's pine and maple smell from the olive green scarf he was wearing around his neck, before replying.

"Ivan and Natalya had a fight" She felt him nod in understanding.

"Did he get angry at her 'cause she was worrying again?"

Surprised, Iryna pulled back and looked at her boyfriend.

"How did you know?" He chuckled softly.

That's just what I figured"

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Both Iryna and Matthew had had a long day, so neither was up for anything too exciting, so they agreed with watching a single half-hour episode of a sitcom Iryna liked, having a cup of chamomile tea with honey and heading to bed.

After Iryna and Matthew had gotten into bed, Matthew couldn't stop thinking about Ivan and Natalya.

"I'll be back in a few" he said, swinging his legs over the side of Iryna's double bed. Iryna looked up from her romance novel.

"Hm?"

"I just have to go clear out my head"

"Alright" Iryna responded, not without curiosity.

Matthew left the room, closing the door behind him.

Matthew didn't really know what he was doing, but he felt like he should do something.

Uncertainty bubbled up inside of him as he padded down the beige carpeted hallway, barefoot towards Ivan's bedroom door.

When he reached the teen's door he stopped for a moment, chewing his bottom lip, deliberating. _Should I really stick my nose into family affairs?_ But then again, it's not like Iryna's siblings could really dislike him any more than they already did, so why the hell not?

Summoning up his courage he reached a hand up to knock on the door, but before he got that far, the door swung open and Ivan was standing in front of him.

"Can I help you?" the boy asked, his Russian accented voice dry.

Matthew looked up at Ivan and swallowed. Despite the fact that Ivan was four years his junior, the teen towered over him.

"Well, yes. I mean no. um...Can we talk?" Matt stammered nervously.

"So talk" Ivan said, leaning against the door jam.

"I was actually wondering if we could sit down."

Ivan raised an eyebrow, but nodded. He stepped aside to let the other pass.

"Thanks" Matthew muttered quietly, ducking past the other male. He turned back to Ivan as he shut the door.

"How did you know I was standing out there?" Ivan shrugged.

"I could hear you breathing" he said, nonchalant.

He sat on the edge of the neatly made bed. Matthew stayed in the centre of the bed room as if he didn't want to touch anything. Ivan looked carefully at Matthew.

"You want to speak to me about Natalya, da?" Matthew nodded.

"Yes, if you don't mind." he said carefully, wearily.

Ivan smiled at him. Usually smiles were nice things. Usually. This one was bitter and facetious. Matthew swallowed.

"If I don't mind" Ivan repeated. He looked down at hi hands, which were clasped on his lap. He started tapping his thumbs together. "Why would I mind?"

Mathew wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do next.

."Why would I mind," Ivan continued, "a near stranger coming to me late at night, just to tell me what a horrible person

I am and what a terrible job I'm doing at being an older brother?"

"Ivan…" Matthew tried. Ivan ignored him.

"To tell me, that trying to help keep my family feed is the wrong-"

"Ivan!" Matthew said, raising his voice. The ash blonde looked up in surprise.

Matthew exhaled.

"I didn't' come in here to tell you that, Ivan. I came in here to tell you that I understand what its like to feel like everyone against you when all you're trying to do is help." Matthew told him and after taking a shaky breath, he continued, "To feel like your hard work isn't appreciated and that everyone's focusing on what you've "_failed"_ to do, rather than what you _have_ accomplished."

Ivan wouldn't look at him now; his eyes were glued to the soft, gray coloured carpet of his bedroom floor, making it impossible for Matthew to read his face. He pressed on.

"_But,_ I also know what it's like being in Natalya's position. To be worried about someone you love, only to have them push you away when you try and reach out to them."

Ivan still wouldn't look at Matthew, but he could see his face more clearly now. Ivan wasn't crying-Matthew didn't think he was the type to- but he looked like he wanted to. He looked like hell. The teen stood up.

"Matvey, I'm sorr-"

"You don't need to apologize to me." The older said his tone warm. "I just want you to remember that your sisters only do what they do because they love you, and that compromise can be a powerful thing" He decided to take a risk.

"And," he added, closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around the younger boy. Ivan stiffened, "I want you to remember that I'm here for you, alright?"

After a moment the other blonde let out the breath he was holding and nodded once. It was enough.

Matthew decide to push his luck even further and tilted his head to press a kiss to Ivan' temple. This gained no outwardly negative response from the boy, so he took that as a sign of progress.

Matthew knew that Ivan would probably go back to hating him in a minute, but tonight, he could deal with that.

End.

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**So how did do? I would love it if you would let me know! Thank you for reading, have a nice day!**


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